Blast in Philippines kills at least two

The scene of the recent explosion in the Philippines (Photo: sunstar.com.ph)

Hanoi (VNA) – At least two people were killed while 21
others were injured when an explosion occurred on December 31 afternoon, near
the entrance of a mall in Cotabato city in southern Philippines, Xinhua news
agency reported.

The Chinese news agency cited Philippine military and police authorities
as saying that an improvised explosive device exploded around 1:59 pm local
time in front of a major mall, as hundreds of people were shopping for the New
Year's Eve.

Cotabato city police said an unidentified man dropped a wrapped box in
the area shortly before the blast.

Wounded victims were rushed to the nearest hospital while bomb disposal
team quickly arrived at the scene.

The Philippine army is looking into the incident as well as trying to
identify the kind of explosive device which was used in the case. Initial
investigation results showed that it has similar design with ones
frequently-used by local militants who pledged loyalty to the self-claimed
Islamic State (IS) in their previous attacks.